Department Overview

"Philosophy" comes
from two Greek words meaning "love of wisdom.'' This may still be
the best short definition of philosophy. The trouble with it, of course,
is that it expresses an ideal, and an ideal whose meaning is vague. What,
after all, is "wisdom''; and in what does wisdom consist? Is wisdom
like knowledge? Science? Practical knowledge? Yes -- and no. Perhaps the
best way to describe this "love of wisdom'' would be to say that
it is the desire to find out what is real and true, to understand, and
to be better off as a consequence of this. But how shall inquiry proceed?
What is it to "understand''? And how might a human being be really
"better off''? These are themselves among the fundamental questions
of philosophy. They lead us to issues in the theory of reality, the theory
of knowledge, moral and political philosophy, and aesthetics.

Philosophy is a kind of "calling,"
a kind of "vocation." It is not primarily a career, a profession,
a job. It is a calling to anyone who wishes to take life reflectively
and thoughtfully, rather than just acting on prevailing assumptions,
habits,
and prejudices. This is not to say that in thinking philosophically we
need to separate ourselves from worldly activities; rather it is to say
that we have the opportunity to bring critical judgment to bear upon
the
practices of social, political, religious, artistic, and business life
with a view toward reform and improvement. But philosophy is first of
all a deepening of one's own self.

Hope students can pursue their goals
through a single course in philosophy or through any number of combinations
of courses short of a major. Others will want to make the history of philosophical
thought and its special fields of inquiry the core around which their
overall education is built and will become majors. Still others will want
to combine a philosophy major with a major in some other field. Recent
fields combined with philosophy in joint majors include: Art, Business,
Chemistry, English, Mathematics, Political Science, Psychology, Religion,
Social Work.